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Authors: Laura Marie Altom

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BOOK: The SEAL's Second Chance Baby

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Thoughts raced faster and faster through his mind until he had to fight to keep himself from making a scene by covering his ears with his hands.

The ringing had grown so loud it hurt.

What was happening? He saw the minister's lips move, and then Effie's, but he couldn't hear their voices.

Finally, a voice broke through, but it was his own. “I-I'm sorry,” he said to Effie. “I can't do this.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, tone laced with concern. “Are you sick? What's wrong?”

Marsh couldn't vocalize what he could only feelâthat he wasn't fit to become a father to her precious baby girl and sons. And so instead of talking, he ran.

Chapter Nineteen

“Mommy?” Colt asked, “Where's Mr. Marsh going? He promised not to leave. Doesn't he wanna to be our dad?”

“Of course, he does, sweetheart.” Even though Colt's suspicion was exactly what Effie feared, she at least temporarily protected her son's fragile heart. “Marsh has a stomachache. I'm going to get him medicine, and then we'll be right back.”

Colt's wide eyes said he wasn't so sure.

Remington was crying.

All of the guests started talking at once.

Wallace and Jacinda and Clive, Marsh's father, argued over who should chase after the groom.

“Everyoneâ” Effie said, while Marsh's family bickered back and forth “âif you'll please be patient, I'm going to grab the groom some antacid. He overdid it on last night's barbecue.”

Nervous titters accompanied her out the door. Of course, no one believed her, but what her guests thought didn't matter. The only hearts that needed protecting belonged to her twin sons.

“Marsh?” she hollered upon reaching the parking lot.

She spotted him surging down a hiking trail.

Her ivory satin shoes were hardly suitable for the rocky terrain, but at the moment, nothing mattered more than successfully completing her wedding dayâwhich meant she'd need an amenable groom.

“Marsh! Wait up!”

He only walked faster. “Go away! I'm no good for youâespecially, not your kids.”

“Pardon my French,” she managed while running to catch up, “but that's horseshit! You're five times the man my ex ever was! The twins adore you, but right now you're walking a tightrope where they're concerned. They've already had their hearts shattered by their real dad. You promised themâand meâthat you'd never leave, so what are you doing?”

He stopped.

“I covered for you back at the church, but my little white lie is only going to be good for so long.”

He turned to her, and his tears came as a crushing blow. “I do love you, Effie. You and the boys and Cass. But when Remington fell, and all I could do was stand there in a fog, something inside me snapped. I realized I'm useless. You need someone whole. Even worse, I'm afraid of what might happen to me if I were to lose one or, God forbid, all of you.”

“Key wordâ
might
. I'm living proof that life sure doesn't hand out guaranteesâespecially when it comes to relationships. If it helps, I feel just as vulnerable about my dependence on
you
. We've all grown to need you.” She held him tight, praying she conveyed one iota of how much she'd grown to care. “Remember how Colt used to behave when you first came into our lives? He was smart-mouthed and sassy.”

“Still is,” he said.

“True.” For the second time in an hour, Effie found herself laughing and crying. “But look how far he's come. He was uncontrollable, and now, with your help, he's starting to recognize when he's wrong. That's all because of you. What happened to Remington was an accident.”

“So was what happened to Tucker, but he died. Who's to say I'm not bad luck?”

“Now, you're being stupid. You were a doll to buy the twins those poniesâand helmets. Who said they'd be fine not wearing them?”

He remained silent.

“That's right, me. Who insisted on riding ponies down the aisle of an already cramped chapel?”

He was silent again.

“That's right, Mabel and Wallace. If you want to play the blame game, I can point fingers all day, but here's the thingânone of them are directed toward you. I love you, Marsh. I don't know how or when it happened, but you've come to mean the world to me. If you no longer want to marry me, I guess I'll have to live with that fact, and I'll break it gently to the boys. But with every part of my being, I believe you do want to marry me and help me raise not just my children, but
ours
.” She hugged him again. “And that's what they are, Marshâyours and mine. Someday, God willing, we'll have more. But for now, please come back to the church with me, tell everyone you've got an upset stomach from barbecue, then let's get this wedding over with so we can get on with living the rest of our lives.”

“I can't believe you'd even want to still marry me.”

“ShockerâI do.” On her tiptoes, she kissed him long and hard, until he was groaning and pressing her close enough that she recognized how much she was looking forward to their honeymoon.

He took her hand and kissed her still-empty ring finger. “With all the commotion over Remington, I forgot to buy you a fancy diamond engagement ring.”

“Marsh Langtree, don't you know me well enough by now to realize I don't need a fancy ring? All I need is you.”

He kissed her again, and then they walked hand in hand toward the chapel. Behind age-old paned windows, candles glowed, guiding them to their shared future.

Outside, Effie tightened her grip on his hand. “What you really went throughâno one knows about but me. Forgive yourself. Grant yourself permission to love my boys the way they love you.”

He nodded, kissing her again. “Thank you, Effie. Not just for saving my pride, but literally not just once, but now twice saving my life.”

“Right back at you. Marry me?”

“I can't wait.”

They walked into the chapel together, and, sandwiched between two smiling boys, said their vows.

They'd been through so much, yet from here on out, Effie knew they'd spend the rest of their lives together, happily ever after, secure in the knowledge that no matter what obstacles fate tossed in their shared paths, they'd tackle them as a team. United in spirit, souls and love.

Epilogue

On a sunny
Saturday afternoon in May, Marsh sat in a crowd of hundreds, holding squirming Cassidy on his lap while Colt and Remington leaned in on both sides. Wallace and Mabel shared the row, as did his parents and Effie's. The Colorado Springs temperature was pleasantly warm for an outdoor graduation, and he couldn't be more impressed with his wife as she accepted her RN degree.

“I'm crazy proud of you,” he said when he finally got to hold her again after the ceremony.

“Thank you.” She kissed him before moving on to hug the rest of their family. “Thanks to all of you for sharing this with me. I never thought this day would come, but with Marsh's help...” She squealed. “I did it!”

Remington had long since healed, and he and Colt shared in her happy dance.

“Do you know where you're going to work?” Jacinda asked.

“For nowâat least until the boys are olderâI'm going to be the nurse at their school. I know it's not glamorous, but when their teacher told me the school's current nurse was retiring, I submitted my rÃ©sumÃ© to the principal and was hired.”

“I love that you'll get to be with them,” Melissa said. As usual, she'd once again cabbaged on to Cassidy and gave her a jiggle. She said to the baby, “I especially love that I get to spend my days with you.” Effie's folks had sold their home in Oklahoma City and were in the process of building on a section of Mabel's land.

Officially, the land now belonged to Effie and Marsh, but to Effie, it would always be her grandmother's.

The group shared a steak lunch, then headed to Effie's official Maysville graduation party that was being hosted by Patricia.

When Effie finally stole a moment alone with her husband, she took his hand and led him to the pool's quiet side.

“Mmm...” Marsh said after thoroughly kissing her. “It's been nice visiting with family and friends, but is it wrong that I've been craving some quality alone time?” He'd officially retired from the Navy and now offered riding lessons to kids from town and the surrounding area. His schedule was so full that between her studies and his work ethic, they hardly shared time together.

“About that...”

He arched his head back and groaned. “Don't tell meâyou've decided to jump right back into school for your master's?”

“Not exactly.” She'd been debating how to tell him. She assumed he'd be happy, but what if he was more scared? She knew Tucker would always occupy a chunk of Marsh's heart. Did he have room for one more special person? Unsure how to broach the subject, she just blurted her news. “I'm pregnant.”

“Waitâwhat?” He shook his head. “For real?”

She nodded. “I didn't want to say anything until I was sure. I had an ob-gyn friend test me, and it was positive. I'm about six weeks along. That's another reason I'd like to work at the boys' school. I'll have my summers free.”

She worried when, for the longest time, he was quiet.

“Marsh? Talk to me. What's wrong?”

“Not a thing.” He shook his head, then smiled. In the shadows, she watched his gaze fill with unshed tears. “This was supposed to be your special day, so how come I got the best present?”

“You're happy?”

“Of course I'm happy. I'm thrilled. This is incredible. Tell me everything. So you're already six weeks along? Is it a boy or girlânever mind. As long as he or she is healthy, I don't care.” He knelt to kiss her belly. “I already love you.”

Effie's heart swelled.

Her husband's reaction couldn't have been more perfect. Just like their shared lives.

* * * * *

Be sure to look for the next book in
Laura Marie Altom's
COWBOY SEALS
series,
available in 2017 wherever
Harlequin books and ebooks are sold!

Keep reading for an excerpt from
THE RANGER'S RODEO REBEL
by Pamela Britton.

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